Strange but True Facts About the Civil War

by Patrick M. Reynolds

From the publisher:
Here in a uniquely entertaining illustrated format are hundreds of little-known facts about the always-fascinating Civil War. Did you know: An 1861 plot to assassinate President-elect Abe Lincoln was thwarted with the help of a police chief named John Kennedy?; The Confederacy briefly had a program developing rockets?; The Gettysburg Address was panned as silly, flat and dish-watery by the Chicago Times? These are just a few of the remarkable stories chronicled in Patrick Reynolds' educational cartoon-strips.

The Confederate Experience Reader

by John D. Fowler

From the publisher:
The Confederate Experience Reader provides students and professors with the essential materials needed to understand and appreciate the major issues confronting the Southern Republic's brief existence during the American Civil War.

This anthology covers the full history of the Confederate experience including the origins of the antebellum South, the rise of southern nationalism, the 1860 election and the subsequent Secession Crisis, the military conflict, and Reconstruction. Drawing from a full range of primary writings that describe the experience of living in the Southern Republic in vivid detail, as well as a careful selection of secondary works by prominent scholars in the field of Confederate history, The Confederate Experience Reader will allow students to situate the Confederate experience within the larger context of Southern and American history.

From CWBN:
Barnes & Noble lists this as an August 24 release; Amazon and the publisher name a later publication date for this title.

Battles of the Civil War, 1861-1865: From Fort Sumter to Petersburg

by Kevin J. Dougherty, Chris McNab, Martin J. Dougherty, Michael F. Pavkovic, and Parker Hills

From the publisher:
From 1861 to 1865, the United States was locked in a bitter, bloody war that was different from any that had gone before. Improved artillery and musketry made the battles more lethal, while new technology made transportation and communications important elements of battlefield strategy. The end result was a total war in which the Union and the Confederacy fought for their very survival.

Battles of the Civil War introduces 20 key battles from the conflict that shaped modern America. Beginning with the Confederate capture of Fort Sumter (April 1861), and concluding with the capitulation of Petersburg (April 1865), after an eight-month-long siege by Union forces, this book offers accessible and concise accounts of all the decisive battles of the Civil War.

The book includes every type of battle, including the huge set-piece infantry battles at First Manassas (July 1861), Antietam (September 1862), and Gettysburg (July 1863); the use of cavalry at Chancellorsville (May 1863); and the successful Federal blockade of the South that resulted in the destruction of the Confederate navy at New Orleans (May 1862) and Mobile Bay (August 1864).

Each battle includes a contextual introduction of the campaign, a concise description of the action, and an analysis of the aftermath. A specially-commissioned, color map illustrating the dispositions and movement of forces brings the subject to life and helps the reader to grasp – at a glance – the development of the battle.

With more than 200 color and black-and-white maps, artworks, and photographs illustrating the battles, leading players, and tactics of the era, Battles of the Civil War provides a useful introduction to some key battles of the most bloody conflict in the history of the United States. Designed for both the general reader and enthusiast, the book is an essential companion for anyone interested in North American military history.

From CWBN:
The exact day of release for this August title is unknown. The title is published by Barnes & Noble and is not available via Amazon.

Struggle for a Vast Future: The American Civil War

by Aaron Sheehan-Dean

From the publisher:
The American Civil War saw the country that was founded on the ideals of "liberty and union" torn apart and embroiled in some of the most bitter and bloodiest fighting mankind has witnessed. The war changed the face and character of America forever and the shockwaves of it resounded around the world.

Osprey's Struggle for a Vast Future seeks to reach an understanding of the origins of this landmark conflict and its place in the history of modern society and warfare. The major themes of the war are examined in depth by the world's leading American Civil War experts, including the innovation of warfare, the role of women and ethnic origins, espionage and the extraordinary leaders and personalities that shaped the future of the United States. The conflict is also brought to life through superb photographs and illustrations. This book is not only a fascinating new perspective but is invaluable to anyone seeking to enrich their understanding of this historic event.

Dr Aaron Sheehan-Dean is Assistant Professor of History at the University of North Florida. He completed his PhD at the University of Virginia. He has devoted most of his academic career to the study of the American Civil War and has published essays on various themes surrounding the conflict. He is completing a book project titled Creating Confederates: Family and Nation in Civil War Virginia (forthcoming). He lives and works in Florida. The author lives in Florida, USA.

Redemption: The Last Battle of the Civil War

by Nicholas Lemann

From the publisher:
Arguably the best literary journalist of our time, Nicholas Lemann (Big Test, Promised Land) recaptures our attention with this absorbing chronicle of a shameful era in America's post–Civil War history. With devastating accuracy, Lemann traces the prolonged campaign of organized violence waged by white supremacists in the 1870s to overturn the 14th and 15th Amendments, which granted civil rights to freed blacks. Euphemistically called Redemption, this organized racial terrorism, an unbridled crime spree of murder and mayhem, brought the reforms of Reconstruction to a screeching halt and effectively segregated the South for another 100 years. For those of us who know Lemann's work in The Atlantic Monthly and The New Yorker, this book adds luster to an already brilliant literary reputation. And for readers unfamiliar with this Pulitzer Prize–winning writer, we can only ask, "What are you waiting for?"

Nicholas Lemann, dean of the School of Journalism at Columbia University, is author of The Big Test (FSG, 1999) and the prizewinning The Promised Land. He lives with his family in Pelham, New York.

Intimate Strategies of the Civil War: Military Commanders and Their Wives

Edited by by Carol K. Bleser and Lesley J. Gordon

From the publisher:
From Robert E. and Mary Lee to Ulysses S. and Julia Grant, Intimate Strategies of the Civil War examines the marriages of twelve prominent military commanders, highlighting the impact wives had on their famous husbands' careers.

Carol K. Bleser and Lesley J. Gordon assemble an impressive array of leading scholars to explore the marriages of six Confederate and six Union commanders.

Contributors reveal that, for many of these men, the matrimonial bond was the most important relationship in their lives, one that shaped (and was shaped by) their military experience. In some cases, the commanders' spouses proved relentless and skillful promoters of their husbands' careers. Jessie Fremont drew on all of her connections as the daughter of former Senator Thomas Hart Benton to aid her modestly talented husband John. Others bolstered their military spouses in less direct ways. For example, Ulysses S. Grant's relationship with Julia (a Southerner and former slave owner herself) kept him anchored in stormy times.

Here, too, are tense and tempestuous pairings, such William Tecumseh Sherman and his wife Ellen--his foster sister before becoming his wife--and Jefferson Davis's fascinatingly complex bond with Varina, further complicated by the hostile rumors about the two in Richmond society.

Throughout, these historians paint remarkably intimate portraits of their subjects, ranging from hints of sexual passion, to the wives' fierce protectiveness of their husbands' reputations, to the surprisingly frequent visits of spouses to the front lines and battlefields. Readers will see these famed men in a way that they perhaps never considered: not merely as famous leaders, but as lovers, husbands and fathers.

Illuminating a frequently neglected but extremely significant side of military history, Intimate Strategies is a must-read for anyone seeking fresh perspective on some of the war's best known commanders and a landmark contribution to Civil War history.

From Library Journal:
Readers are not as likely to recognize the names of Varina Howell Davis and Julia Dent Grant as those of their husbands, Jefferson and Ulysses, but these wives of Civil War leaders also contributed to the war's outcome and to their husbands' careers. Long neglected in traditional military treatments of the conflict, the family life and very different wives of 12 of the Union's and Confederate's most significant leaders are the topic of this fascinating collection of essays.

From CWBN:
This is a new paperback release of the hardback edition originally issued in 2001. This title was released on August 15.

Civil War and the Indian Wars

by Roy Bird

From the publisher:
This fascinating and brief history looks at how the Civil War impacted Indian tribes in the Western United States from California to the Mississippi River. With a chapter for each year of the Civil War, it examines a prewar incident that sparked an Apache war in New Mexico and Arizona, moves on to the Navajo war that concluded in 1864, and ends with skirmishes and raids throughout the Midwest in 1865.

Historian, fiction writer, professor, and Civil War scholar Roy Bird wrote his first article as a senior in college and his first book two years later. Born in Herington, Kansas, Bird graduated from Kansas State University with a bachelor's and master's degree in history. He then went on to Emporia State University, where he received his master's in library science. He has worked for many colleges and libraries throughout Kansas and has been a freelance writer since 1974.

Bird is largely known in historical, library, educational, and writers' circles in Kansas, having written many books and over 200 articles, stories, and reviews. His work and research is regularly quoted in a number of publications as factual and pertinent information. He has spoken to library groups, historical organizations, public schools, and writers' groups at local and national levels. He is also a regular contributor to America's Civil War and Military History and has his own monthly book-review column in Kansas Libraries.

From CWBN:
This title was released on August 15.

Armchair Reader Civil War

by Eric Erickson, Michael Amedeo, Ed Avis, and Michael Patrick Brady

From the publisher:
Complexities, strategies, and human stories involved in the War Between the States. A treasury of unusual and unique tales, facts and anecdotes. Discover the quirks and habits of the generals, details of fierce battles. Families - even Abe Lincoln's - that were split in two over the conflict.

From CWBN:
This title was released on August 15. We were unable to find the publisher's website to collect more information about the book.

Making a New South: Race, Leadership, and Community after the Civil War

Edited by Paul A. Cimbala, Barton C. Shaw, John David Smith

From the publisher:
"Rarely does one see a collection that is so unified in both theme and execution. This fresh and insightful volume will make a substantial contribution to historical scholarship on the New South." -- Thomas H. Appleton, Jr., Eastern Kentucky University

By focusing on specific communities, these essays examine the efforts of individuals and small groups to build their vision of the New South. Ranging across the region, from Texas to Virginia, the essays examine specific events at the city or state level.

Naturally, politics and race play a major role, from white Republicans in post-emancipation North Carolina to Northern Mississippi Rural Legal Services in the 1970s. Depression-era Atlanta, segregated Louisville, South Carolina governors, and the way memory affects race in twentieth-century Waco are among the broad range of studies offered in this collection.

The contributors to Making a New South explore how white southerners attempted to rebuild their society after suffering defeat during the Civil War and how black southerners worked to establish themselves as free people with all the rights they believed that emancipation had promised to them. Collectively, these essays reveal the public endeavors of idealistic and pragmatic southerners of all races, including preachers, politicians, and public servants, to remake their world in the century following Reconstruction.

Back to Africa: Benjamin Coates and the Colonization Movement in America, 1848-1880

by Emma J. Lapsansky-Werner and Margaret Hope Bacon (editors)

From the publisher:
Benjamin Coates was one of the best-known white supporters of African colonization in nineteenth-century America. A Quaker businessman from Philadelphia, and a sometime officer of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society, he was committed to helping Black Americans relocate to West Africa. This put him at the center of a discourse with abolitionists, at home and abroad, that included such leading thinkers as Joseph Jenkins Roberts, Mary Ann Shadd Cary, Henry Highland Garnet, Frederick Douglass, Alexander Crummell, George L. Stearns, and William Coppinger."

At the heart of this volume is a collection of over 150 recently recovered letters, either written by Coates or addressed to him between 1848 and 1880, the years when Coates was most active in racial reform.

Lapansky-Werner and Bacon have provided a far-reaching essay that places them in the context of nineteenth-century African American colonization ideas, and the editors have led a team of young scholars who annotated the letters. Taken together, the letters provide insight into the alliances and divisions within America's antislavery movement, making Back to Africa essential reading for every student of black studies, abolitionism, Quaker history, and nineteenth-century reform in general.

Irish Americans in the Confederate Army

by Sean Michael O'Brien

From the publisher:
In 1861, Americans on both sides flooded to enlist for what all thought would be a short and glorious war. Anxious to prove their loyalty to their new homeland, thousands of America's Irish immigrant population were among those who hurried to join the fight on both sides. While the efforts of the Union's legendary Irish Brigade are well documented, little has been said regarding the role Irish American soldiers played for the Confederacy. This comprehensive history explores the Irish contribution to the Confederate military effort throughout the four major combat theatres of the Civil War.

Beginning with an overview of Irish Americans in the South, the book looks at the Irish immigrant experience and the character of the typical Irish Confederate soldier, detailing the ways in which Irish communities supported the Southern war effort. The main focus is the military actions in which Irish American soldiers were present in significant or influential numbers. With a combat death rate disproportionate to their numbers, the 40,000 Irish who served in the Confederate army played significant roles in the Army of Northern Virginia, the Army of Tennessee, the hotly disputed coastal areas and the Mississippi and Trans-Mississippi campaigns. Most major battles of the war are discussed including Manassas, Sharpsburg, Gettysburg, Shiloh, Murfreesboro and Appomattox. Appendices contain a list of various Irish commands and field commanders in the Confederate Army.

Retired educator Sean Michael O'Brien is a free lance writer. He lives in Eufaula, Alabama.

From CWBN:
This title shows a general "August" release date from B&N and a July 27 date from Amazon.

Ship Island, Mississippi: Rosters and History of the Civil War Prison

by Theresa Arnold-Scriber and Terry G. Scriber

From the publisher:
Ship Island was used as a French base of operations for Gulf Coast maneuvers and later, during the War of 1812, by the British as a launching point for the disastrous Battle of New Orleans. But most memorably, Ship Island served as a Federal prison under the command of Union Major-General Benjamin F. Butler during the Civil War. This volume traces this fascinating and somewhat sinister history of Ship Island, which lies about 12 miles off the Mississippi Gulf Coast. After discussing the impact that early Southern abandonment of the island ultimately had on the course of the war, it describes the unhealthy atmosphere and inhumane treatment of prisoners, which earned Butler the nickname of The Beast.

The main focus of the book, however, is a series of rosters of the men imprisoned. Organized first by the state in which the soldier enlisted and then by the company in which he served, entries are listed alphabetically by last name and include information such as beginning rank; date and place of enlistment; date and place of capture; physical characteristics; and, where possible, the fate and postwar occupation of the prisoner. A list of Union soldiers who died while serving on garrison duty is also provided.

Theresa Arnold-Scriber and security consultant Terry G. Scriber reside in Knoxville, Tennessee. They are the authors of The Fourth Louisiana Battalion in the Civil War (2007).

From CWBN:
The exact day of release for this August title is unknown.

Voices of the Confederate Navy: Articles, Letters, Reports and Reminiscenses

by R. Thomas Campbell

From the publisher:
This work is a collection of works by Southern naval participants in the Civil War. The narratives traverse the field from the fond and not-so-fond memories to the carefully worded reports of an officer claiming a victory or the loss of a ship.

It is only through these accounts that society can ever hope to understand the courage that these men displayed and the hardships and trials they faced. These writings lend information and color as one tries to understand just what these personnel faced during this momentous period in United States history.

From CWBN:
The exact day of release for this August title is uknown. This book's August release was confirmed in a phone call to the publisher last month and contradicts Amazon's published release date of December. Should you wish to order and there is a fulfillment problem with Amazon, call the publisher directly at 800-253-2187.

Civil War Medal of Honor Recipients: A Complete Illustrated Record

by Robert P. Broadwater

From the publisher:
This reference details and organizes information regarding the Civil War Medal of Honor and its recipients in an easily accessible, previously unemployed format. Beginning with a brief history of the MOH, it first presents a traditional alphabetical listing of recipients with information regarding their respective acts of heroism. The work then organizes recipient data by a wide variety of criteria, including branch of service, regiment, ship assignment, place of action, act of heroism, state or country of nativity, age of recipient, and date of issue.

From CWBN:
The exact day of release for this August title is uknown.

The American Civil War: The Essential Bibliography

by Richard B. McCaslin

From the publisher:
Provides the latest scholarship in military history * Includes essays written by top scholars in their fields * Offers an indispensable introduction to the field and a guide for further research for students and seasoned researchers alike

Perhaps no other American war has been as closely studied as the American Civil War. To help serious students find their way through the vast amount of research on the topic, this up-to-date bibliography examines and discusses the scholarly writings on the origins and consequences of the American Civil War, the analyses of its campaigns and battles, and the biographies of military figures.

From CWBN:
We arbitrarily assigned an August 6 release date to this book, lacking a more specific publication date than August.

Promise of the New South: Life after Reconstruction

by Edward L. Ayers

From the publisher:
At a public picnic in the South in the 1890s, a young man paid five cents for his first chance to hear the revolutionary Edison talking machine. He eagerly listened as the soundman placed the needle down, only to find that through the tubes he held to his ears came the chilling sounds of a lynching.

In this story, with its blend of new technology and old hatreds, genteel picnics and mob violence, Edward Ayers captures the history of the South in the years between Reconstruction and the turn of the century - a combination of progress and reaction that defined the contradictory promise of the New South. Ranging from the Georgia coast to the Tennessee mountains, from the power brokers to tenant farmers, Ayers depicts a land of startling contrasts - a time of progress and repression, of new industries and old ways.

Ayers takes us from remote Southern towns, revolutionized by the spread of the railroads, to the statehouses where Democratic "Redeemers" swept away the legacy of Reconstruction; from the small farmers, trapped into growing nothing but cotton, to the new industries of Birmingham; from abuse and intimacy in the family to tumultuous public meetings of the prohibitionists.

He explores every aspect of society, politics, and the economy, detailing the importance of each in the emerging New South. Here is the local Baptist congregation, the country store, the tobacco-stained second-class railroad car, the rise of Populism: the teeming, nineteenth-century South comes to life in these pages. And central to the entire story is the role of race relations, from alliances and friendships between blacks and whites to the spread of Jim Crow laws and disenfranchisement. Ayers weaves all these details into the contradictory story of the New South, showing how the region developed the patterns it was to follow for the next fifty years.

Edward L. Ayers is President and Professor of History at the University of Richmond. He was named National Professor of the Year in 2003 and is a Bancroft and the Beveridge Prize winner.

From Library Journal:
Ayers (history, Univ. of Virginia) brings together in his highly readable study recent research on the New South era, much of it dealing with such previously neglected groups as poor whites and taking advantage of 25 years of "revisionist" history to employ such once-innovative, now standard methods as quantification and community studies. While not ignoring events in traditional seats of power, Ayers shows the interconnection of political and social change. He doesn't try to cover every topic but offers a comprehensive overview of an important era, drawing on the best work of many historians.

From CWBN:
This is the 15th anniversary edition of the book issued in paperback. The Amazon link above shows an absurdly high price for the edition. The publisher's price is more reasonable.

Soldier of Southwestern Virginia: The Civil War Letters of Captain John Preston Sheffey

Edited by James I. Robertson, Jr.

From the publisher:
Far more than a documentation of the horrors and banality of the Civil War, John Preston Sheffey's literate and witty writings demonstrate his ardor for battle, his love of Virginia, and his passion in waging a most arduous and suspenseful campaign: to win Josephine Spiller as his wife. Superbly edited by James I. Robertson, Jr., Sheffey's letters are the first published correspondence by a member of the 8th Virginia Cavalry. A native of Marion, Virginia, Sheffey provides an invaluable picture of socio-military affairs in the overlooked western and southwestern regions of the state. His combination of intimate minute-to-minute, day-to-day recording and larger insight into the dynamics of men, terrain, supplies, and protocol make this collection unique. Sheffey's more than ninety letters are a singular source of interest for revealing the paradoxes and tragedies of isolated but vital Civil War skirmishes in southwest Virginia.

"Readers will find this carefully annotated, soundly edited collection easy to read. . . . southwestern Virginia's contribution to the Civil War is oftentimes overlooked, and Sheffey's firsthand accounts of military action in this little-discussed theater are refreshing and enlightening." — Virginia Libraries

"Robertson has again enriched Civil War literature. . . . Those who want to know more about the war in West Virginia and southwest Virginia will want this work in their libraries. Those who enjoy reading about what happened during the war outside the more familiar venues should also find Sheffey's letters interesting." — Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star

"Readers are treated to the only collection of letters in book form from the 8th Virginia Cavalry, but more importantly the observations of an intelligent and discerning correspondent deeply concerned not only about the progress of the war but also with the prospects for his southwestern section of Virginia." — Appalachian Heritage

"Sheffey is fortunate that his letters came into the hands of James I. Robertson, Jr., perhaps the consummate Virginia historian. . . . Each chapter is prefaced with explanatory material that summarizes Sheffey's experiences and their place in the larger story of the war." — Blue & Gray

James I. Robertson, Jr., is the author of twelve books, including The Stonewall Brigade and the award-winning Stonewall Jackson: The Man, the Soldier, the Legend. Well known for his lectures across the country and his appearances in television documentaries, he was chief historical consultant for the movie Gods and Generals and is Alumni Distinguished Professor of History at Virginia Tech.

From CWBN:
Point of interest: Robertson was the head of the Centennial and comes in for some criticism in this season's book Troubled Commemoration, also issued by LSU Press.

The publisher's site lists the release date of this work as being in August; we are here assigning an arbitrary release date of our own, August 2.

A Shattered Nation: The Rise and Fall of the Confederacy, 1861-1868

by Anne Sarah Rubin

From the publisher:
Historians often assert that Confederate nationalism had its origins in pre-Civil War sectional conflict with the North, reached its apex at the start of the war, and then dropped off quickly after the end of hostilities. Anne Sarah Rubin argues instead that white Southerners did not actually begin to formulate a national identity until it became evident that the Confederacy was destined to fight a lengthy war against the Union. She also demonstrates that an attachment to a symbolic or sentimental Confederacy existed independent of the political Confederacy and was therefore able to persist well after the collapse of the Confederate state. White Southerners redefined symbols and figures of the failed state as emotional touchstones and political rallying points in the struggle to retain local (and racial) control, even as former Confederates took the loyalty oath and applied for pardons in droves.

Exploring the creation, maintenance, and transformation of Confederate identity during the tumultuous years of the Civil War and Reconstruction, Rubin sheds new light on the ways in which Confederates felt connected to their national creation and provides a provocative example of what happens when a nation disintegrates and leaves its people behind to forge a new identity.

A rich portrait. - Drew Gilpin Faust, author of Mothers of Invention: Women of the Slaveholding South in the American Civil War

This important new study makes a strong and persuasive case. - James M. McPherson, author

Anne Sarah Rubin is associate professor of history at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She is coauthor, with Edward Ayers, of the electronic project Valley of the Shadow: Two Communities in the American Civil War: The Eve of War.

The Civil War in Art

by Doran Jacobson

From the publisher:
The American Civil War - the most cataclysmic event ever to occur on this nation's soil - engendered many complex and passionate feeelings that were captured by artists who worked in the midst of the conflict to render images of war in sketches, paintings, and photographs. They traveled with the armies, depicting soldiers as well as civilians at the front, documenting the leaders, encampments, and battlefields of the North and the South.

The works of great photographers such as Mathew Brady and Alexander Gardner as well as painters and illustrators such as Winslow Homer, Edwin Forbes, and many others are represented here by 96 full color and archival images.

Lest We Forget: The Grave Sites of the Union Civil War Generals Buried in the United States

by David, L. Callihan

From the publisher:
For the first time in one place, this book presents photographs of and information about the grave sites of all 576 substantive Union Civil War generals who are buried in the United States. An Appendix covers the seven substantive generals who are buried outside the United States.

If you are already actively looking for some or all of these grave sites, this book will greatly help you find these burial sites. If you are new to this aspect of Civil War history, this book can open up a whole new area of interest.

The book functions as a history book for anyone interested in learning more about these officers and as a travel guide for anyone interested in finding any of these grave sites. Concise biographical information is presented about each general. Photographs of each general's grave marker are presented, and often close up photographs are also provided, making it easy for the reader to see the important inscriptions on the grave markers. The cemetery address or directions for finding the cemetery are also provided. And where possible cemetery section or block numbers or letters are provided to further help the reader locate a particular grave site. Whether you are a seasoned grave hunter or merely interested in history and the Civil War, this book belongs on your bookshelf. These generals, in leading the Union army to victory in the Civil War, helped preserve the Union and end slavery. They should not be forgotten.